Beaned 2
by NintendoGal55
Summary: Based off the "Beaned" episode. But this time, Arnold is the one who gets bonked in the head by a baseball, resulting in amnesia. Helga takes care of him, as an opportunity to be nice to him for once. It of course leads to surprising results.
1. Part 1

**Have you ever wondered what would happen if Arnold got beaned in the head and got amnesia, by accident from Helga? Ever wonder what it would be like if she took care of him? Ever wonder what will happen between them?**

**Well, look no further! This is my take on it. :D It's inspired by the adorable "Beaned" episode. **

**And yes, as per usual, it takes place after the movie...the whole FTI incident.**

**All characters belong to Craig Bartlett.**

**--**

A baseball game was going on in the middle of Gerald Field that afternoon after school was out. As per usual, it was a good portion of the Fourth grade class from P.S. 118 against Wolfgang and his army of thugs.

"Throw it already, if you dare!" Helga declared, gripping the bat tightly in her hands.

"Oh, you'll get it, blondie!" Wolfgang said devilishly, and threw his arm back, tossing the ball to her.

The baseball came flying at her like a jet rocket, almost in a blur of white with a tail, Helga tensed for a few moments, and swung the bat-

"Strike one!" Said the catcher, throwing the ball back to Wolfgang.

"Criminy..." Helga sighed.

"You can do it, Helga! Keep your eye on the ball!" Arnold called to her in vast encouragement.

For a moment, Helga swooned and nearly dropped the bat. Her face must have been betraying her because she slapped herself in order to get over it.

"Criminy, I know what to do, football head!" Helga shouted back. "Pay attention and keep your place!"

"Here it comes, blondie! You can flirt with your boyfriend later!"

At that, she saw Arnold's cheeks turn a brilliant shade of pink, and as much as she wished that were true, she did NOT want that said in front of others!

"What did you just say?!" Helga yelled to Wolfgang, not even paying attention to the ball coming at her. "If you're gonna say something as preposterous as that, then why don't you come over here and say it to the fat end of this baseball bat and put your money where your-NOO!"

Amidst her rant, Helga had unwittingly swung the bat in the wrong direction, very hard, and knocked the ball, sending it flying...flying...

Straight to where it bonked Arnold on the head, causing him to stumble a little and then fall down to the ground.

"Arnold! Arnold!" Gerald cried, rushing over to him, as did the other fourth graders.

"Ugghh...." Arnold groaned, stirring a little.

"Outta my way! Move it, geek-bait! Outta my way, move it!" Helga pushed through the crowd. "Arnold, you stupid football head! You shouldn't have been standing there!" She knelt down beside him, pushing aside Eugene, who fell over on his face. "...Arnold?" Her voice had softened then, lacing with worry.

"Uhhnnn....Arnold? Who's Arnold...?" Arnold managed to say, opening his eyes. He then looked up to see Helga's concerned blue eyes looking down at him, her face actually showing worry. No one else was looking at her, so they couldn't see. A strange rush came over him, and he smiled up at her. "Hi...who are you?"

"H-Huh?" Helga managed in surprise, not just from his apparent confusion but also the way he was smiling at her, that tone in his voice... She would've swooned like crazy if not for the seriousness of the situation.

"Arnold! Arnold!" Gerald said, shaking his shoulders. "Are you all right, man?"

"Arnold? Is that my name?" Arnold sat up, rubbing his head. "I like it...it's pretty nice." He looked back at Helga again and smiled more. "But I'd love to know your name, pretty girl."

"AH!?" Helga yelped, falling onto her back from loss of balance.

"Pretty? Helga? Oh come on!" Rhonda muttered. "If anyone's pretty here, that would be me."

"Couldn't agree with you more, lovely!" Curly crooned, snaking his arms around Rhonda's waist.

"Gah! Get OFF of me, Thaddeus!"

"That's my name, and don't wear it out!" Curly winked.

"Oh no...I think he has amnesia!" Phoebe realized. "Arnold...are you all right?"

"Arnold? Well okay, I guess I'll be Arnold then. I'm okay..." He looked at Helga again. "Now that I've seen you."

_He has amnesia! I don't believe it! _Helga thought, shocked. _And...it's all my fault! If I hadn't been yelling at Wolfgang or hitting the bat like that, none of this would have ever happened! ...He did the same thing to me a few months ago, but oh, that was an accident! I can't believe I gave him amnesia! Still he's...he's looking at me with those eyes! Ohhhh Arnold my love!!!_

"Oh man, this isn't good! Who's going to take care of Arnold?" Sid said, taking off his hat and scratching his head before putting it back on.

"Get his girlfriend to care for that dumb shrimp so we can get back to the game! It was her fault, anyway!" Wolfgang cackled. "Now get back here, wimps!"

"Hey man, our friend just got beaned! Do you mind?!" Gerald yelled at him. "I'll take Arnold back to-"

"Stop it RIGHT there, Geraldo!" Helga said. "You guys get back to the game and keep Wolfgang and his gang at bay! And I'll..."

_Wait, this is it! This is my chance! Arnold doesn't remember me, so he won't know of my...confession...or anything else! And since he's hurt, no one will be any the wiser if I take care of him! Yes, this is perfect!_ Helga mused, getting an idea. _This is my chance to show Arnold who I really am! And when he recovers, he won't even remember! It's PERFECT!_

"I'll take you home, Arnold." Helga said sweetly.

"Home? What is home?" Arnold asked innocently.

"Um...sure, whatever. C'mon guys." Gerald said, and led everyone back to their places along the field.

Everyone gave Helga odd looks, to which they didn't understand, but no one laughed at her or anything. Just as she'd hoped. Perfect! With a fallen friend who would not remember any of this, an excuse to be nice...it was perfect.

* * *

"Your thingy is...really nice." Arnold said, reaching up to touch her bow. "It looks like the same colour as your dress."

Normally, Helga would have batted his hand away and yell that he never touch her again, while inwardly swooning. She was about to, out of habit, but then realized her mission: let forgotten amnesia Arnold see her real side.

"It's called a bow." Helga said as nicely as she could. _Hey, that wasn't too bad. Keep it up!_

"Bow...I like it." Arnold smiled. "You have beautiful eyes, too, pretty girl."

_Oh my goodness, he called me pretty again! He thinks my eyes are beautiful! Oh gosh, be still, my heart!_

"I...um...thank you, Arnold." Helga blushed considerably. "I uh...my name's Helga, by the way. Helga G. Pataki."

"Helga G. Pataki." Arnold repeated. "That's a pretty name. Helga...I like it. A pretty name for a lovely girl. Helga, what is home?"

"Um...er...well I uh..." Helga stammered, blushing more. "It's where you live, and sleep, and spend time with your family or anyone else who lives there. You live in a boarding house with your grandparents and a few tenants."

"Grandparents? What are they?" Arnold asked innocently, smiling up at her like a little curious toddler.

"The parents of your parents. You know, you have a mom and a dad. And their parents are your grandparents, grandma and grandpa."

"Oooh...cool..." Arnold said absently, looking up at the sky as he was now crossing the street without looking.

"ARNOLD LOOK OUT!" Helga screeched, running into the street and pulling him back onto the sidewalk, narrowly avoiding getting hit by a truck. "Arnold you can't cross the street without looking, football head! Were you trying to get yourself killed?!" Though her tone was aggressive, it was said with more worry than anger. Again, out of habit, but toned down some.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Helga." Arnold looked up at her sadly, feeling bad that he had upset the pretty girl called Helga.

With her mission at hand, instead of yelling at him more or just plain admonishing him, she instead softened and took his hand, leading him across the street. "It's okay, Arnold. I guess your amnesia makes it a bit harder to function properly and remember other things besides your own life."

Oops.

"Life? But I don't even know who I am, or where I live or what my life is..." Arnold said sadly. He then gave her a hug. "But I'm glad I found you, Helga! You're so sweet and pretty, I like you."

Blushing hard, Helga managed to keep her footing, since her knees were close to buckling.

_It's working! It's working! Ohh...but why can't I show the REAL Arnold my true feelings? Why? Stupid me. ...Well, at least I can treat him right for a change. He won't remember it, after all._

"...That's nice of you to say, Arnold. Thank you." Helga smiled at him sincerely, and he beamed, obviously glad that she smiled.

"Yay! I'm glad you're happy, Helga. You're so pretty when you're happy." He held her hand again, and wondered why her cheeks were so pink. "...Are you okay? Your cheeks are almost the same colour as your bow."

"Huh? Oh...uh...I'm fine, don't worry." Helga said, rubbing the back of her neck with her free hand. Even with amnesia, he was still the sweet and concerned boy she knew and loved.

"Okay." He smiled more and then hugged her arm, closing his eyes in contentment and warmth, clearly showing he liked being near her.

_Oh my gosh...he's never touched me like this before! And now he's hugging my arm! Like we were a couple! Oh Arnold my sweet little love...you can hold me all you want! ...I wish he didn't have to have amnesia to do it!_

Often they didn't get this close, though he did hug her quite a few times, held her hand, linked his arm through hers, the times he held her when she'd jump into his arms in fear, and when she was holding him close back on the FTI rooftop...

Helga sighed, her heart sinking with dejection. It was times like this she hated herself for letting the secret of her secret mean more than her love for him.

_Well, not today. Today I'm going to show him that I love him! If my beloved wants the real me, then he gets it! He won't remember it...at least not until I want him to. Oh my love, soon I'll let you know that I wasn't lying back then on the FTI roof!_

Still, despite everything, she smiled dreamily, happy to be so close to the one she loved, initiated by HIM! It was just too bad he was under amnesia. She would have been able to REALLY appreciate it, then.

On the way to the Sunset Arms, Helga actually found herself having a bit of an interesting time with Arnold pointing out to things and asking about them, which in turn made it like he had a younger child innocence that Helga couldn't help but think of as adorable. They passed Ms. Vitello's flower shop, and he had plucked a daisy, despite Helga telling him that was stealing. But Ms. Vitello didn't mind, she only smiled at the two of them as they went along.

"What's this, Helga? It's like a pretty little sun." Arnold said, studying the daisy.

"Oh, it's a flower. They're pretty little plants that come in a variety of sizes, colours and types, most of which offering pollen to pollinating species of insects, which in turn helps out agriculture of all kinds." Helga said with a shrug.

"Really? Wow...the world is so fascinating, Helga! And this flower is so pretty, just like you. Here, take it." Arnold smiled and handed the daisy to her.

_Ohhh Arnold...._ Helga swooned, taking the flower. It reminded her of the time she'd pretended to have amnesia the day after she'd been beaned and he had given her a daisy.

"Thanks, Arnold." She murmured, and placed it behind her right ear. Then an idea came to her. "Hey, Arnold?"

"Yes?" He looked at her and grinned again.

_Gosh, he really likes me, doesn't he...._ Helga mused, unsure of whether to be really happy or just sad. On one hand, it was a dream come true seeing the boy she loved so much showing so much affection to her in a lovey-dovey kind of way, which was to be expected since he was very romantic and a charmer. But on the other hand, he wouldn't even remember it come the time he recovers from his amnesia. As comforting as that was, for now, it was still heart-wrenching. It only reminded her how much she craved, no, needed his love.

_I may as well enjoy it while it lasts...it may be my only chance to love him...and be loved in return._

"Here, take this as a proper thanks."

She leaned down, still amused at the fact that he was shorter than she was, and kissed him on the cheek. Helga swooned, and then stood back to see his reaction. As she somewhat expected, or rather, to her surprise, the shorter blonde boy was now adorning a soft blush on his cheeks and a half-lidded, lovesick smile. The same look he always seemed to get when he liked a girl. He raised a hand to his cheek where she had kissed him.

"What was that, Helga? I don't know what you just did, but for some reason, I really like it." Arnold asked, looking at her then.

"It's called a kiss, silly." Helga smiled, her heart beating fast with joy. Now she could kiss him! And he wouldn't even know it! "You pucker your mouth and lay it where you want to kiss. It's a way of showing people affection. B-But you don't just go kissing anyone! You kiss people like your family! And also..." She blushed as she said this, looking him in the eye. "...You kiss someone you're in love with."

"Love? I like that word, it sounds so beautiful. What is love, Helga?"

By now, they had reached the Sunset Arms, and Helga stopped in her tracks as he asked what love was. It was an innocent question, and yet it had such a huge impact.

As well as that, as in love with him as she was, she suddenly found herself unable to explain it. In fact, she could never explain why she loved him. She just did, and listed off reasons WHY she loved him, and how it made her feel. But to define love? That was next to impossible.

Oh well, she may as well give it a try.

"Um....well...actually, it's kind of hard to explain! Th-There's a lot of kinds of love! Like, uh...love for your family! Love for your friends! Your pets! Your...uh... favourite toy! Your favourite type of environment setting! And...um...there's also romantic love. Love is....er.... oh criminy, how do I explain this?" Helga rattled on, and then paused to consider how she could explain it to the curious, memory-loss boy.

She looked at Arnold, seeing that he was looking up at her with a sweet smile, waiting for her to answer.

"Love...it's something you really can't explain in words. It's just something that you feel. When you feel love, you just know it. It's...well, I guess you can say it's a warm, happy feeling. In fact, it's the greatest feeling in the world. Love is truly beautiful, and while you can't explain it, you feel it clear as day. Love is about... sharing it with someone you care about. When you're in love with someone, it's the best feeling you could ever ask for. It makes you do a lot of things. Great things, and even crazy things. Love is...well, love. It's something you feel. It's something you just know. When you feel it, you'll know."

Arnold looked at her with surprise, fascinated by what she was telling him. She noticed at the corner of her eye, and tugged her collar a little, suddenly feeling a bit weird. Had she scared him? Why was he so quiet?

"Love..." Arnold murmured, staring straight ahead, lost in thought, or what he was trying to think. "Helga, what do you usually do when you love someone?"

Helga's brow raised considerably, unsure of what to say to that. And yet, the answer was obvious.

_Oh, who cares. He knows I love him...well, at least without the amnesia. And he won't remember any of this._

Wait a minute.

That was it!

_Of course! I don't have to just be nice to him...I'll love him, too. He's new to love, well, under these circumstances. I'll kiss him! I'll tell him I love him! Heck, I'll even talk about how I told him I loved him on the FTI roof...and he won't remember any of it! If he likes me too, like this, it's perfect! I can have my beloved for at least a day! _

"Let's go inside, Arnold." Helga said. "I'll...uh...tell you about it later."

"Okay. ...Is this my home?" Arnold pointed to the boarding house in front of them.

"Yeah, home sweet home..." Helga took his hand and marched up the steps, opening the door, which was thankfully unlocked, and came inside. "Hello! Anyone home? Hello?"

No answer, just silence.

"Hello? Arnold's grandpa?" Helga called again. "Hello? Anyone home? Hello?!"

She went into the kitchen, while Arnold wandered around, curious of the place, and then noticing her going in there, he went after her. Helga was at the fridge, seeing now that there was a note on it.

_Hey, short man! Pookie and I went out a bit, everyone else is off doing their own thing. Make yourself some dinner from the fridge!_

_And don't eat raspberries!_

_~Grandpa_

Helga scoffed, and turned back to see Arnold now sitting at the table, his hands clasped on the tabletop, looking at her like an eager schoolboy. He was too cute, she couldn't help but giggle a little.

"Hey, I'll make you a snack. You must be hungry." _That's it Helga, keep it up!_

"Gosh Helga...thanks, that's nice of you." He smiled.

She blushed a bit, and then raided around the cupboards, and looking into the fridge. She found a Tupperware container that contained some minestrone soup. Perfect idea. Helga took it out and poured it into a bowl, then placed it in the microwave and timed it, waiting patiently. Once it was done, she got out a spoon from one of the drawers and placed the soup before him.

"Here you go, eat up." She handed the spoon to him.

Arnold looked at the spoon with fascination, and giggled, placing it on his nose. Helga was baffled, but laughed a little as he did that. He was too cute!

"Football head..." She said his silly insult out of habit, but this time with affection instead of contempt. "That's not how you use a spoon!"

"It's not?" He looked at her innocently, the spoon still hanging on his nose.

Helga just smiled and took it from him, placing it in the soup, and demonstrated how to eat it. He tried, but got it all over his face. So she took the spoon back again and spoon-fed her beloved, once again a bit of a reverse deja-vu from the time she'd been pretending to still have amnesia and he had spoon-fed chocolate pudding to her.

Once done and the dishes were put away, she led him upstairs to his room. Oh yes, his bedroom. It was her first time in here with permission. Not a thing had changed at all, it was just as she'd remembered it.

"This is your bedroom. You sleep in here...and do other stuff. Look! You have an awesome sound system here," She took his remote sitting on the couch. "And your couch can flip in and out of the wall...you can control everything in this room with this remote. And look, you have a row of skylights above your bed! Look, the wall even has ladder grooves where you can climb out onto the roof!"

"Wow!" Arnold uttered in amazement. "This is really my room? It's so...so...cool!"

"Yeah...it is..." Helga said absently, feeling a slight pang of guilt for all those times she had broken into his house, or room for that matter, just to recover something that would give away his secret. "Uh, so! Let's do your homework."

"Home work? Okay, what do I have to do?"

This was going to be a long afternoon.

--

Normally if dealing with an amnesiac, Helga would have gotten a bit impatient. But this was Arnold, she attributed his loss of memory and curiosity of the world around him as adorable. He was almost like Stinky, or the lovable idiot Harry from _3__rd__ Rock From The Sun_. Except he didn't have the southern accent and he wasn't an alien in disguise as a human.

Although he did get the squinting part down since his eyes were often half-lidded.

They'd spent the past hour and a half with her helping with his homework, and she even recounted old stories about his life when he had asked about what his life was like. She left out the fact she bullied him, not wanting to tarnish her image to him AGAIN. No, that was for the real Arnold. This Arnold would only see her good side.

That is until everything between them would be sorted out. Hopefully.

_It's too bad he doesn't and will not remember all this..._ Helga thought sadly. Still, it was pretty nice to spend time with him and be herself for a change.

As for Arnold, he was getting more and more smitten by her by the minute. In fact, dare anyone say it, he was falling in love. Though he couldn't quite pinpoint it. He just knew he felt really good.

Helga then looked at the time, it was getting late. She figured to get back home. Not that Bob or Miriam would notice she wasn't home, of course. But no one had gotten home yet, she knew she'd have to wait first.

But still, it was all getting to be too much. She had to get out of here, NOW! Before she would do something she'd regret.

"Well, I'd better go." Helga said. "You should lie down for a while and rest your head. I'll wait for your grandparents or one of the borders to come home."

"What? Already?" Arnold looked a bit sad, and got down from his couch, going over to her and taking her hand. "But I don't want you to leave, Helga. Why do you have to leave?"

"I have to go home." Helga said, and wanted to take her hand away, but her heart wasn't letting her. "Your grandparents should be back soon...I'll leave when they get here. You lie down, I'll go downstairs." She turned to try to go again.

"Helga, wait." Arnold gently tugged her back. "I'm confused about something."

"...What?" She asked, looking at the door.

"There are these strange feelings I feel when I'm around you." He said, and looked at her hand. "I want to do things with you, and I feel really good. I mean, I feel better than good. But I can't explain it. I want to...well, be close to you. I want to give you a....that thing you do with your mouth."

"Th-That's just...friendliness." Helga said sheepishly, blushing hard.

_Oh no, I think he's falling in love with me! ...Wait, what's the matter with that? It's Arnold! I've wanted him to love me since I was three! This should be a dream come true! He won't even remember it, anyway! So why am I so hesitant all of a sudden?_

"I don't know, Helga. I think it's...what was that word you used earlier? Dove? Uh....Glove?"

The dreaded but blessed L word...

"...Love, Arnold." Helga caved. "You're in love."

"Love." Arnold repeated again, the word rolling off his tongue. Despite his amnesia, it dawned on him. He looked up at her, and gently turned her around. "Helga...I know now! I know!"

"Kn-Know what?" Helga uttered, fearing what he was about to say next.

"I'm in love with you."

Time itself then seemed to freeze. Neither of them moved. Not a sound was heard. Not even the sound of the rain now pattering on his skylight registered to them. Nothing. No one said a thing. Their eyes were locked, blue met green. Their hands were still within each other's grasp.

_I'm in love with you._

_I'm in love with you._

_I'm in love with you._

Those were the words, along with others that meant the same thing, were what she had been waiting to hear for so long. Those were the words she'd longed to hear from the mouth of her beloved. Helga could not contain herself then.

She was overcome with so much emotion, that she didn't even register the fact that he had amnesia, was reacting to her actual niceness, and that he wasn't the Arnold she remembered. He was still Arnold, of course. Looked like him, sounded like him, acted like him...just lacking the memories. It was still Arnold. It was still Arnold telling her that he loved her.

In this crazy circumstance, her feelings were reciprocated.

Nothing registered. The only thing she knew now, was that Arnold, the boy she had loved since she was three, had just told her that he was in love with her.

Her heart swelled with love, and practically exploded upon the endorphins she could feel racing through her system. Tears pooled in her widened blue eyes, her grip on his hand tightened, she began to tremble. Nothing mattered. Because now finally, her love was returned.

"Oh...Oh Arnold!!! Come here, football head!"

Before she could stop herself, Helga grabbed her to him, her arms around him in a possessive, vice-grip, and leaned down, kissing him passionately on the mouth. It possessed most, if not more, of the same passion and desperation as her kiss back on the FTI rooftop, and she poured everything into it. She kissed him, kissed him, and kissed him. His lips were soft, just as she remembered them, and still just as addicting. She could never get enough of them, not on her life.

Her tongue traced his lips, desperately, just as she'd done the first time to try to get a response out of him. This time his mouth went wide with surprise, and she seized the opportunity to French kiss him.

But that wasn't the only thing driving her wild then.

As obviously inexperienced as he was, even more so thanks to his amnesia, but he made an effort to kiss her back. Her tongue met his, and she explored his hot wet mouth hungrily, still tasting the soup he had eaten.

_Oh CRIMINY...._ Helga thought, bringing him closer to her, delighted that he was kissing her back as best as he could.

She was enjoying this WAY too much, and the lack of oxygen was getting to her, but she didn't care. She had not had her fill yet. Simply put, she was addicted to him. Probably more so than before.

But then it dawned on her.

This wasn't the real Arnold.

It was still him, but he wasn't Arnold. He wasn't the Arnold she remembered. He was Arnold reborn. A new Arnold. An Arnold without his memories. An Arnold who although was still kind and caring, didn't seem to possess the same kind of personality he had. No wonder, he had no memories of it.

This wasn't him. This wasn't her beloved.

Although reluctant, she knew she couldn't do this to herself. It was far too painful.

Helga pulled away, and let go of him, fighting back tears. Her heart was crushed, even more so than if he had said he didn't love her.

Arnold on the other hand, was in heaven. He swooned, a lovesick gaze on his face, before he fainted and fell to the floor.

"....Oh, Arnold...." Helga sighed, and went to help him up onto his bed. Despite it all, it was still her beloved, and he needed to regain his memory. And she was still going to care for him, no matter what.

She placed him onto his bed, pulled off his shoes and socks, and then brought the covers over him. Once he was tucked in, she turned out the lights, then let out a sigh and kissed him on the forehead.

"I love you, Arnold...please come back soon." She murmured, caressing his cheek.

Then she took her backpack, went to his door, sent him one last longing gaze, and then left the room, closing the door behind her.

--

**Aha! You think this is over, don't you? Nope! There's going to be a part two! What will happen? Stay tuned! :D**


	2. Part 2

**Hello and welcome back! :D Time for part two!**

**So I'll bet you're all thinking "NintendoGal55! What on earth will you be doing next?"**

**Well, it's going to be done in the same fashion as the episode. XD Arnold regains his memories, finds out that Helga was NICE to him, which does amaze him, and since now he knows that she loves him, it adds up. X3**

**But things go awry when he sees her there at his doorstep, all bright and cheery, worried about him, and above all...everything she is without her bully persona. He sees that she still thinks he has amnesia, which leads him to believe why she's so nice.**

**Now he's faced with a tough decision. Play along with it to spend time with a nice Helga for a change, or do the right thing and tell the truth?**

**It sounds obvious, huh?**

**OR NOT!**

**Let's move on. :D**

**Aaanndd....it's not over yet. :D There's gonna be more.**

**--**

"Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold!" Chanted the alarm clock.

Opening his eyes slowly, Arnold blinked, rubbing his head as he sat up and deactivated his clock. His head hurt slightly, but he was fine now.

"Ugh....what happened? Why does my head hurt...?" Arnold wondered, a little confused. "...Oh, right. I was hit in the head with a baseball. But when and how did I get here?"

"Knock knock, short man! You awake?" Phil greeted, opening the door and coming into the room.

"Oh, morning, grandpa." Arnold said. "...Grandpa? What happened yesterday?"

"Oh right, you had amnesia! Well short man, let me tell you, it was surprising to me what happened! Your little friend brought you home! You know, the girl with the pigtails, bow and the one eyebrow...Helen, right?" Phil asked, sitting on the bed with him.

"HELGA?!" Arnold cried in shock. "H-Helga brought me back!?"

"She sure did, short man! She said she felt responsible for knocking the baseball that hit your head-"

"Grandpa, it was an accident. She didn't mean to hit me with it."

"Oh, but that's not all! She also made you a snack, helped you with your homework and then tucked you into bed! Then she waited until Pookie and I got home, and wow, she's one heck of a girl!"

"She...she did all that...? For me?" Arnold was stunned to say the least. "But why would she do that?" He asked himself more than his grandpa.

"Well short man, like I told ya before, that girl likes you!" Phil winked at him ad went to do the door. "And remember, never eat raspberries! Now get yourself ready for school!" He left the room.

Needless to say, Arnold was pretty surprised at this. He knew Helga did sometimes show how nice she really was by helping others. Like the time when she had first befriended Phoebe back in preschool by fending off Harold, Stinky and Sid when they knocked over the blocks Phoebe was playing with.

She especially helped him in particular...

Then he realized it, it was obvious.

_It's because she loves me. That's why she helped me when I apparently had that amnesia. ...Wow, I wonder what it was like. Was she nice? Or was she treating me as she always did?_ Arnold thought.

He got out of bed and got dressed in his usual clothing, then went down to the bathroom to wash his hands before heading down to the kitchen.

"HYA!" Came the joyful shout of Gertie as she was preparing breakfast...in a Chinese dress with her hair in a bun. She had a cleaver and a spatula in each hand, preparing breakfast at the stove in a Chinese style. "Ah, Kimba! Glad you could make it! You still under amnesia?"

"No, I'm fine now, Grandma." Arnold said.

"Oh, that's nice dear. You know, that dear girl Eleanor was here yesterday looking after you! What a sweet girl..."

_Sweet? Sweet? Helga was...sweet?_

This was pretty mind-boggling to say the least. He thought about it all through breakfast, unsure of what to say to any of it.

--

Opening the door, Arnold smiled as he released the animals followed by Abner, and then came outside, shutting the door behind him. He was anxious about getting to school and letting everyone know that he was all right. Thought he was unsure of what to do with Helga. Go up and thank her? Ignore her? He wasn't sure what to do.

Now it was raining, and he'd forgotten to-

"Morning, Arnold!" Came a cheery voice.

"Morning, Helga." Arnold said absently as he descended the steps. When it finally registered, he whipped around to face her. "Helga?!"

"You remembered my name, huh? Well good! Glad you're making progress. You feel okay?" Helga asked sweetly.

Arnold was stunned, even more so than when Grandpa had told him what she'd done the day before. Right in the flesh, Helga G. Pataki was being nice. NICE. Very nice, in fact. It was unbelievable. She was behaving just as Hilda did from that one strange dream he had about visiting Arnie.

"Arnold? Darling? You remember your name, right? And what we went over yesterday?"

_Darling? Darling?!_

He was taken aback by the sweet little nickname you often would address someone you loved. Yes, she'd called him that once, back on the FTI rooftop, but right now?

That's when it hit him.

_She thinks I still have amnesia! That's why she's being so nice._ Arnold realized. It made sense, given the circumstances. Yet, it was still a bit of a let-down.

Then again, it was really refreshing to see her acting really nice for a change. Maybe he could play along with it a bit...

_What am I thinking? I can't do that to Helga! That would be going against what I always do. I can't be dishonest like that, it'd be wrong of me to rope her into being my personal maid. Wait, no. I don't care if she serves me or not. No...it's because she's being nice. Really nice, in fact. And because she knows I won't remember it or bring it all out, and that everyone won't question it since they know I lost my memory...the odds are all in her favour. She can act nice and show her real self to me because eventually it won't matter, and then everything will go back to the way it was. But wouldn't that make her sad? I know how much she loves me now, funny how I didn't know before...wouldn't she feel upset? Is that why she's being nice to me? So that I'll act loving to her, and all she wants is my love?_

His heart sank then as it dawned on him. Helga was deep down, a big softie and a sweet girl with a shattered soul and heart, her spirit was begging to be loved, most specifically for his love. She was calling for help.

And he was the only one who could answer that call.

_...No, she deserves a little love. And if the only way she'll accept it for now is if I have amnesia, then fine. This is perfect, it'll help me to see the real Helga, and even help me sort out how I feel about her. It couldn't hurt to try. _

"Arnold...?" Helga questioned him again, now sounding worried.

"Huh? Oh...uh...hi, uh...Helen." Arnold said, hoping he would sound convincing.

"It's Helga." She chided gently, and opened her umbrella over them. "Come on, let's get off to school before this rain drenches us to the bone!"

Arnold smiled a little, remembering how he'd done the same on the second day she had had amnesia. She then linked her arm through his and they walked off in the rain. At the corner of his eye, he caught the bright look in her eyes. She was really enjoying this, he could tell.

And surprisingly, so was he.

"Listen, um...do you remember what happened yesterday?" Helga suddenly said.

He didn't. But he couldn't tell her that.

"Er...yeah, I do, but go ahead and tell me anyway. I like listening to your stories." Arnold said. In truth, he kind of did. When they actually got along, she sometimes would tell an interesting story that he found hard not to pay attention to. She was quite a story teller.

_And she's great with poetry._ He thought, his heart skipping a beat. _Still surprising how she fills volumes with poems about me...gosh, she has it bad for me._

"Oh, okay. Well...um....thing is, you kinda told me you...ya know...you liked me. You know, a lot." Helga, completely oblivious to the fact that he was pretending to have amnesia, blushed a bit and looked down at her shoes.

_What!? I did?! Oh no..._ "Oh, yeah...well, I guess I couldn't help myself, Harriet."

"Helga." She corrected him, and sighed. "And you know, I never did give you an answer, did I?"

_You already did..._

"I uh...guess not. But um, if you want to tell me how you feel, I'm all ears."

Helga looked at him. "So I take it that French kiss I gave you wasn't enough, eh, football head?" She smirked at him.

_French kiss? Isn't that tongue-kissing? Yeah, I think that's it...but what French-kiss? She never-......oh my gosh. Did she tongue-kiss me last night while I had amnesia?!_ Arnold thought, a mixture of both shocked and horrified.

He did remember back on the FTI rooftop that she HAD attempted to French him, but had no success since he was scared stiff and his mouth was firmly closed.

But this was huge. Under his amnesia, he'd apparently told her that he liked her, and she had kissed him. And on top of that, her usual insult "football head" was said in a more affectionate tone, like it was a personal pet name instead of an insult in reference to his head.

_Whoa...this is all happening too fast! That's a lot to take in when I...no, no, I can't let her know that I'm lying. Play along, Arnold..._

"No, I think it told me enough." Arnold said, reverting to the fact he didn't have amnesia, but she didn't notice. "Your kiss told me enough."

And that was true, despite that he wasn't referring to the kiss from last night that he didn't remember. In fact, all three of their kisses that he DID remember, now that he looked back, were clear indications that she liked him, and he was a little too dense to figure that out. At least, for the first two, since they were part of a script. The third was what did it.

"Good to know." Helga then grabbed his arm, pulling him into an alleyway so as to avoid being seen by passerby. Since she'd kissed him last night, she was aching to do so again, and now that she could without him or anyone else being any the wiser, she was not about to pass it up. Nine or not, she didn't care. She had other ways to express her love and devotion.

Holding hands and sitting together at lunch or on the bus were not enough. At least not to her.

Yes, she still ached about the fact the was still memory-loss Arnold, but he was still Arnold somehow, right? She wanted her fill of him while she could. By now, she didn't care. She just wanted to kiss those dear, sweet lips she savoured.

"H-Hel...what are you doing?" Arnold asked in surprise, now being pinned to the wall behind him. Hopefully he could still convince her he had amnesia...

Placing the umbrella aside so as not to obstruct anything, Helga kept him pinned to the wall, holding his wrists on either side of his head. She was not letting him escape this time, he could see that. Plus, she was taller and a tad stronger than he was, even if he knew karate. He couldn't move, and never in his life would he ever dream of hitting a girl, and most especially not Helga.

"Arnold my love, kiss me." She said passionately.

"W-What? Helga I-mmmm!!!!"

His response was cut off when the pigtailed girl leaned down and kissed him passionately on the mouth, a lot more so than she had back on the FTI building rooftop. Or just as much, he couldn't tell which. Now he was, again, stiff as a board while the one girl who had tormented him for years with verbal abuse and spitballs....also the girl who was madly in love with him, kissed him more than most nine-year-olds would do, even in a single kiss.

_Is that her TONGUE?!_

It had dawned on him then that his mouth had been wide open, and only when her sneaky tongue entered his mouth that he realized it. What was she doing!? Nine year olds rarely ever kissed on the mouth, let alone French-kissed!

Oh yes, he knew it far more by now. She was no ordinary girl his age.

_Jeez, what do I do? I can't just sit here and take it, she thinks I have amnesia, so I have to do something! But I can't just go around kissing a girl I'm not being honest with right now, either! _

Before he could even think about it, Arnold found himself closing his eyes and puckering his open lips against hers in an act of reciprocation. His tongue darted away from hers to avoid it, but her tongue chased his, obviously enjoying the challenge. At least now they were in a less drastic situation than back on the FTI rooftop, and he knew of her feelings for him, so it was all not so much of a big surprise like it was before.

Still, it was too much, he had to get out of this NOW!

But his inner desires that he didn't even know existed had surfaced, messages from his brain were traveling along his body, telling him he wanted this. His body said yes, his heart was leaning toward yes, but his mind of course was telling him not to give in.

The lack of oxygen was what stopped them, Helga finally pulling away and looking at him with her big, blue eyes. Looking into them then, he never fully realized how beautiful they were. Yes, he'd known they were blue all the time, duh, but he never really took them in. The closest he'd come to that was back on the FTI roof, again with that, and she'd been looking at him with that tender, loving, half-lidded gaze. He hadn't had time to think of it, but he remembered how beautiful her eyes were, the way they were filled with so much love, all directed at him.

They were a beautiful shade of blue, almost like looking at the sky, but a bit darker. They held the calmness and yet indestructible fury of the ocean.

Despite her unibrow, constant scowling, strangely positioned ears, tomboyish style and protruding upper lip, she really was a pretty girl. Not compared to someone as pretty as Ruth McDougal or Rhonda or Lila, but she was pretty in her own way. He liked that she could be herself about her looks, it was proved especially with her unibrow, which most girls even at nine would shave in half. She just rather stubbornly kept it as it was. It made her look meaner, sure, but it just went to prove that she just made herself look the way she wanted and didn't care about beauty standards.

He decided he liked her natural look, or just basically, styling herself the way she chose to on a personal level. He smiled a bit. Not a lot of girls were like that.

Even her name seemed to represent her well. Helga. It was strong, but feminine at the same time. It was an interesting name. German, if he remembered correctly. Not many girls of their generation had that name, that was for sure!

"Arnold..." Helga's voice cut him from his musings. "You know, I know you won't remember all of this, but...if you can hear me in there somehow, maybe just a little, I uh...I want you to know that I don't hate you. I love you, okay? I lied when I was agreeing with you about my confession and kiss were just in the heat of the moment. I-I really do love you."

Although Arnold knew that by now, he still couldn't help but feel touched. Yes, at the time he was admittedly a little more flattered than he cared to admit, given her bullying persona and inappropriate timing and rather advanced kiss and all. But now that they were here, and he knew full well how she felt and that she was indeed lying about taking it back, he felt he could appreciate it more. At first he was freaked out, unsure of what to think, especially when he realized that she was telling the truth about how she loved him. But now, now that he was used to the idea and knew about her feelings, it didn't come off as a huge, freak-out-inducing surprise anymore.

He had to admit, despite how she treated him in the past, which was no picnic but at least he understood and did have chances to see her real self, it was pretty nice to be loved like that. Even if her love went way beyond a simple nine-year-old and fourth grade level crush.

She was also a pretty good kisser, too.

_Say something, you dolt! You're supposed to have amnesia! And you have to like her because of it!_ Yelled a rather Helga-ish part of his mind.

Arnold hated to lie to Helga, especially about his feelings for her, but since he was supposed to have amnesia, it probably wouldn't matter.

"I love you too. I love you." He said sweetly, hoping he sounded convincing.

Strange...it felt kind of nice to say that to her.

Helga beamed, and then picked up her umbrella and held it over them again. "C'mon, we better get to school, darling."

"I'm with you all the way, Hermione." Arnold said, throwing in a different name for good measure.

"It's Helga, football head." She said affectionately.

--

As they arrived at P.S. 118, they came to see Rhonda, Sid, Curly, Eugene, Stinky, Harold, Gerald, Phoebe, Lila, Sheena and Nadine standing near the steps, as if waiting for them.

"Well I'll be! Arnold and Helga walking to school together! Still feeling guilty for hitting poor little Arnold?" Rhonda said in a snobby tone.

"As a matter of fact Rhonda, he still has amnesia, and so I decided to help him out today." Helga said coolly.

Arnold decided to add to the act by taking off his hat and placing it on his nose, grinning like an idiot. This made them all stare weirdly, Phoebe giggled and Gerald cracked a smile.

"Well that's nice and all, but I can take him from here." Gerald said, taking Arnold's arm and dragging him inside.

"Hey! Get back here!" Helga yelled, chasing after them, but Gerald was already inside. _Oh well, he'll come back to me later... I hope. ...Oh who am I kidding, I'd better keep and eye on him and THEN take him away! _

--

"WHAT?! You mean you're okay now?!" Gerald uttered in surprise.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Arnold said.

"Then what the heck were you doin' out there with Helga G. Pataki?! ...Wait, don't tell me, you're finally getting back at her by making her your personal slave while she thinks you still have amnesia so she won't know? Is that what you're doin'?"

"No!" Arnold said, shaking his head rapidly. "I'd never do that to her!"

"Then what are you doing?" Gerald crossed his arms and stared at him with utmost suspicion.

"Gerald, yesterday, she brought me back to my house, gave me a snack, helped me with my homework, talked to me about stuff, and then put me to bed. Then she waited until Grandma and Grandpa came home before she left! I had amnesia, so I don't remember it exactly, but I guess she told them and Grandpa told me about it this morning."

"Big deal man, she DID hit you with that ball so she decided to take responsibility I see." Gerald snorted.

"It was an accident. She didn't mean to hit me with it!"

"Suuuuuuuuuuure she didn't."

"That's not all of it! Listen, okay?"

Gerald looked at his best friend, wondering if he'd gone crazy or something, but he faltered and nodded, uncrossing his arms.

"Okay, man. What are you doing?"

"Gerald, this morning, Helga was waiting for me in front of the house. She said hi to me, and was really cheerful and very sweet." Arnold blushed a bit as a smitten gaze crossed his face. "She brought her umbrella and shared it with me, and she was really nice the whole time. She thought I still had amnesia, and it was pretty refreshing to see her acting so nice for a change. It was surprising, but in a way I understand because she knows I'll forget all about it when I get my memory back and we can go back to the way things were. It was refreshing to see her acting so sweet and kind. On the way she recited some poetry to me, and really seemed like such a dreamer and-"

"Oh no. Oh dear gosh no..." Gerald suddenly said, his eyes wide, taking a step back. "Please don't talk in that voice!"

Arnold stared at him, confused. "Voice? What are you talking about? What voice? You're not making sense."

"Arnold...you were talking in THAT voice." Gerald now whispered.

"What's THAT voice?"

"Don't you hear yourself?! You were talkin' in that voice you always use when you like a girl! And you had that look on your face! The look you get when you're talkin' about the girl you like!" Gerald said in a loud whisper. "Arnold, please, PLEASE tell me I'm just going crazy and that you do not have a crush on Helga G. Pataki!"

"What?!!?" Arnold cried a litte too loudly. "No no, Gerald! That's not what I'm saying! I don't! I mean...at least I don't THINK I do."

"Okay, phew!" Gerald said in relief. "I hate to be crazy but I'm sure glad that's the case instead of-wait, what?! What do you mean you don't THINK you do?!"

_Oops. I probably shouldn't have said that._ Arnold realized.

"Er...never mind, Gerald. That was just a slip of the tongue."

"Slip of the tongue?! Arnold, first you start talkin' all lovey-dovey, you get that love-crazed look on your face, and you say you're considering your feelings...all because of _Helga G. Pataki_! Helga! The same girl who tortured you all your life, called you names, made you feel like an idiot! The same girl who should just jump off a bridge!" Gerald cried in worry.

"Gerald, she's really not that bad."

"You're doing it again! Stickin' up for her!"

"I'm just telling the truth, that's all!"

"No no, Arnold, the truth is...she's the Wicked Witch of the West and you're Dorothy with the Ruby Slippers following the yellow brick road to the Emerald City!"

"Gerald, stop!" Arnold grabbed his best friend's shoulders. "Look, I know you and Helga aren't exactly on the best terms, but...the kindness and sweetness she showed me today has made me realize a lot of things about her. I know she's a good person deep down inside, and I know she has a good heart. She's a good person, Gerald...she just has it very tough and can't come out of her shell very easily. All she wants is to be taken seriously, to be given a chance. ...Seeing her like this in a whole new light just made me realize that a lot more about her. ...So fine, yes, I think I have feelings for her. But I don't know! I can't say for sure."

Gerald blinked, letting Arnold's words sink in. He could not believe what he was hearing, and yet, it was to be expected. Arnold was Arnold, always looking at the bright side, seeing the best in people, pure optimism.

"Okay, man, I'm willin' to consider you got feelings for her. But one problem, she's gonna shoot you down, Arnold! She hates you!"

Arnold was about to reply, when the door opened and Sid and Stinky walked in.

"Ah, there you fellers are!" Stinky said. "Mr. Simmons said y'all was missin'! He sent us out to find ya!"

Sid nodded in agreement. "By the way Arnold, I know you probably don't remember Helga, but I think she's a little worried about you! I don't know how you did it, but man, she's gone soft! It's like she's weak all of a sudden!

"Didn't even threaten to punch any of us...that girl's got some serious issues..." Stinky said, scratching his head. "Wonder why she's suddenly so hung up over y'all's safety..."

Arnold gave a light glare of annoyance, not at all appreciating what they were saying about her, but at Gerald's look of warning, he just feigned dumbness.

"I'm sure she's okay! She's just worried...what a sweet thing for the girl I like so much to do..." He said. "Come on Gerry, let's go to...where do we have to go again?"

"Um, to class, Arnold...that's where we gotta go! And I'm Gerald, by the way."

"Thanks, Gerard."

Sid and Stinky exchanged glances as they watched the two boys exit the bathroom, clearly confused.

"What in the heck just happened?" Stinky wondered out loud.

"I couldn't tell you, Stinky." Sid replied.

--

**What the heck? This is odd. It's NOT OVER YET!!!**

**Yes, I planned to keep this in two parts...but it seems that there will be a part three. **

**Well! Then I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D More to come soon!**


	3. Part 3

**Here we go, everyone. Part three! A totally unplanned part three! I expected this to be short and sweet...but such a case is not happening here.**

**So, without any further ado, let's enjoy Beaned 2! Part three. :D**

**Oh yes, and the Shakespeare Sonnet is indeed real...it's sonnet 104, and I had a copy of some of them from my English class. XD**

**--**

"Okay, Arnold, time to get to work!" Helga announced, placing his book on his desk. "We gotta study these Shakespeare Sonnets. Think you can read it?"

"I can definitely try, Hannah." Arnold smiled, still feigning his amnesia. He took the book from her and started to read it very badly. "_To me fair friend...Ah yet doth beauty like a dial hand...no pace perceived...old be can never you..._"

Helga shook her head and sighed, taking the book from him. "I think you'd better leave the reading to me."

"Okay! Read it to me, Hilda."

_Way to go, Arnold. You went and called her by that name you had for her in that dream. You stink sometimes, football head._ He thought. _Heck, why don't you just go ahead and start dancing like an idiot and calling her Olga?_

"_Helga_, sweetie." Helga said, and sat her chair in front of his desk, taking the book and reading the aforementioned Shakespeare sonnet. She cleared her throat and recited it aloud to him, quite passionately.

"_To me fair friend you never can be old_

_For as you were when first your eye I eyed_

_Such seems your beauty still: three winters cold_

_Have from the forests shook three summers' pride_

_Three beauteous springs to yellow autumn turned_

_In process of the seasons I have seen_

_Three April perfumes in three hot Junes burned_

_Since first I saw you fresh yet are green_

_Ah yet doth beauty like a dial hand_

_Steal from his figure, and no place perceived_

_So your sweet hue, which methinks doth stand_

_Hath motion, mine eye may be deceived_

_For fear of which, hear this thou age unbred_

_Ere you were born was beauty's summer dead._"

For a few moments, Arnold was, needless to say, taken aback. Although it was to be expected from William Shakespeare and his amazing writing, but hearing them come out from her mouth in such a deep, passionate way, as if she were in character of someone reciting it to someone special. It was almost as if she'd written it herself, given her amazing talent with poetry.

"Well? What'd you think? Ol' Will sure did outdo himself with these!" Helga said as if nothing had happened.

"Huh? Oh...uh...it was nice, really nice, Helena." _It was beautiful, really._

"Bonham-Carter, I hope!" Helga added in, snickering.

At this, Arnold grinned and joined her in laughing, neither of them caring about their classmates now staring at them weirdly.

--

"Arnold...what are you doing?" Helga asked him, carrying too trays as she came up to him.

"What is this clear glass thing showing us the outside and yet still separating us from it?" Arnold asked, still feigning amnesia.

"Football head...it's called a window. Now c'mon, push the door so we can go outside."

"Push...oh yeah, push!" Arnold pushed the door open, and let her through.

"C'mon, I know where we can go eat lunch in private." The pigtailed girl said, and Arnold followed after her.

_Wow, this is major deja-vu from the time SHE had amnesia. _Arnold thought.

_Wow, major deja-vu from the time I was the one with amnesia!_ Helga thought.

Near the back corner of the playground, the two sat on a bench and started to eat. Or rather, Helga did, and to continue feigning amnesia, Arnold just stared down at the food on the tray.

"Arnold, eat it!" Helga said.

"Oh, right." Arnold took a spoon and was about to dip it into the applesauce.

"Well hey, looks like you're doing something right for a change! You're holding the spoon correctly." Helga smirked lightly. "Guess you remember how."

"Uh...no I don't!" Arnold took the spoon, now dipped in applesauce, and splattered it on his face.

"Arnold...." Helga sounded a little irritated, but she smiled anyway. "C'mere, football head, I'll feed you. Sheesh, you get more of your food ON you, than IN you!"

"Sorry, Hilary." Arnold said, giving her doggy eyes. _What am I doing?!_

Helga blinked at seeing those beautiful green eyes of his making the begging, hard to resist doe eyes. Instantly she melted and and smiled lovingly at him. She was way too crazy about him to stay mad for long.

"Aww...who knew you could do that..." She mused, and started to spoon feed the applesauce to him.

_Okay, I feel kind of silly, but this really isn't so bad. Especially since Helga's being so nice for a change. And that kiss she gave me earlier... Gosh, I really have a lot to think about. I don't know, I think I'm really starting to like her...well, like her like her..._

"Helga!" Gerald called as he came over to them. "Can I borrow Arnold a minute?"

Helga scowled a little, angered at how someone dared take her precious beloved away. "Fine, whatever, Geraldo."

"C'mon then Arnold! Let's go...read! You know, in the library! Where all the books are!"

"Um, sure thing...uh...Gary."

Arnold was then dragged away by Gerald, much to Helga's dismay. Once they were gone and out of earshot, Helga quickly slipped behind some trashcans and took out her locket.

"Oh Arnold my love, how your amnesia has struck a tragic chord on your life! And mine as well...though I can express myself freely to you, kiss you, and shower you with the love and devotion I hold that you deserve...alas, you are not the same Arnold receiving it! Oh my love...will I ever have my dear Arnold back? Will I be forever bound to accept this new Arnold?" She moaned in sadness.

She sighed, running her finger along his picture.

"I love you, Arnold...and I should do the right thing...I should see that you are set free and back to your old self! Your kind, loving, sweet, caring, gentle, helpful, wonderful self! Only then can I soon come to terms and express my love for you! But how to do it...how can I bonk Arnold on the head and make it look like it was an accident, but without hurting him too much?"

Wheeze....Wheeze....Wheeze....Wheeze...Wheeze...

Helga immediately frowned, her fist coming up and backhanding Brainy in the face, making him fall to the ground. She pocketed her locket and returned to where she was sitting, thinking over her plan.

--

"Arnold, you have GOT to stop this! Helga's making you weak!" Gerald hissed to Arnold from the back of the school.

"Gerald, she's not!"

"Yes she is! Why else would even think to consider that you have feelings for her? Why? Aren't you supposed to hate her?"

"I don't hate her." Arnold said firmly, but then he softened, turning away from his best friend. "I never hated her, Gerald. Sure, I've been angry at her and annoyed, as well as impatient and all that, but I never hated her. I could never hate her."

"Why not? She certainly gives you plenty of reasons to."

"Gerald! She doesn't bully me or other people because she WANTS to! She does it because she feels she has to! She feels it's the only way she can survive in the world and be taken seriously! I know she's not like that!" Arnold yelled angrily. "She's a good person, and deep down inside, there is a girl in there who recites poetry, shows true sweetness and kindness, can have an attitude, is not afraid to stand up for herself or the people she cares about, a dreamer...and that girl is in trouble. That girl is trapped! She's begging for help, she's begging to be loved. Gerald, she...she's just lonely, okay? Whether she admits it or not, she just wants to be loved. And she deserves that." His voice was softening more and more, and his eyes gazed up at the sky. "After everything we've been through, and even today, I've thought a lot about it."

"So...you don't hate her." Gerald concluded, letting Arnold's words sink in. Then a secretive look came in his eyes as he got an idea. "You care about her a lot, don't you?"

"I do, Gerald." Arnold sighed.

"You like to see her happy."

"Of course!"

"You like spending time with her."

"Yes, I do."

"You feel nervous when you're around her."

"You don't know the half of it."

"But it's a different kind of nervous."

"Yeah, it is. I feel nervous about saying something that will hurt her feelings."

"You like making her happy."

"Of course I do, making her happy, making anyone happy, feels good!"

"You think she's cute."

"Well yeah, she's not as pretty as Ruth McDougal or Lila or even Rhonda, but she's pretty in her own way. I like how natural she can be when it comes to her looks. She's cool that way."

Gerald smiled a little, he was getting closer. Arnold didn't notice, he was too busy looking down at his shoes.

"You like her when she's nice." Gerald went on.

Arnold smiled. "I really like it when she's nice."

"So...let's think of this hypothetically, then. Say she was never a bully, not once in her life since you met her. What would happen then?"

"I would have fallen in love with her in an instant." Arnold blushed, remembering his strange dream from when he visited Arnie and he had met Hilda, who was the image of Helga without her bullying persona.

Eyebrows raised, Gerald went on.

"You've been kissed by her twice now, right?"

"Er...five times, actually."

"Five?! FIVE?!"

Uh-oh.

"You got a lot of explainin' to do, man."

"Gerald...I can't." Arnold shook his head.

"Why not? This is crucial information!"

"Not when I don't want to betray someone's trust!"

"...I knew it, I should've known." Gerald realized.

"Known what...?" Arnold asked, suddenly nervous.

"Why didn't you tell me that Helga G. Pataki was in love with you?!"

"Wait...you knew?!"

"Not at first. But sometimes I caught her makin' these eyes at you...but I figured it was just gas! And now you tell me she's kissed you other times besides the school play and last night?!"

"She did." Arnold admitted in defeat. "Back during spring break, there was this girl named Summer who I had a crush on, but Helga found out that she was just using me so that she would win the beach's sandcastle contest to get a guest-star role on an episode of the show _Babewatch_. She tried to tell me what Summer was doing, but I kept blowing her off and I didn't believe her. It WAS Helga, after all. But anyway, so later she runs into me again and takes me to where Summer and this guy Sandy, her boyfriend, were talking, and I overheard the entire plan and realized Helga was telling the truth. So I...well, basically told Summer to take a hike and Helga and I entered the sandcastle contest together. We made a good team, actually, and we won. So fast-forwarding, I had to pretend I was drowning and then was rescued by the lifeguards, and had to be given mouth-to-mouth, so Helga pushed the lifeguard aside and kissed me." He blushed heavily.

"Okaaaayy...." Gerald said, weirded out. "And the other three?"

"She kissed me on the rooftop of the FTI building after she told me she loved me when I found out she was actually Deep Voice all along." Arnold rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"HELGA was Deep Voice?!"

"Yeah, she was. I demanded to know why she did that, because really, if you think about it, not every nine year old girl would give up getting rich just to help a boy save the neighbourhood no matter how much she liked him."

"You sure got a point there, man. Helga ain't no ordinary girl."

"Tell me about it! And then last night, although I don't remember it, she kissed me on the lips after I apparently said I liked her. Then this morning...well, she pulled me into an alleyway and kissed me. Tongue-kissed, actually."

"TONGUE?!!? Holy moly man, what is she, thirteen!?" Gerald uttered in shock. "Helga G. Pataki of all people is in love with you and has kissed you more times than you can count?! Wow...this is crazy. I can't believe it...you got all this girl trouble and you're only nine!"

"I know I'm only nine and trust me Gerald, it IS kind of freaky. But, I can't just sit here and ignore it because of that. That's not fair to her, or to me. I want to think about how I feel about her before I come to any conclusion."

"Good call, man. Even if it IS Helga..." Gerald shook his head. "So tell me one thing, does she kiss good?"

Arnold blushed. "Well, yeah...she is a good kisser."

"So...would you do it again?"

"Er....well...I can't say I don't like kissing her. Then again, _she_ was the one who always kissed _me_."

"Uh-huh...well Arnold, aside from all that thinkin' you gotta do, I think that you might need to-"

"To be the one to do the kissing?" Arnold guessed, looking a little nervous.

"Yep."

"But I don't want to do that until I know how I feel! I can't just kiss her like that and then probably later find out I don't like her that way! That's not fair to her, and I could never hurt her like that."

Gerald raised an eyebrow and smiled a little. "I think you're fallin' for her, man."

"What?! N-No, I don't know!"

"Oh come on, all the signs are there! You like spendin' time with her, you see her in a way no one else does, you take her feelings in consideration, you never hesitate to help her, you can't bring yourself to stay mad at her no matter what she does to you, you talk in that lovey-dovey voice about her, you seem to like it when she kisses you, you want to make sure you like her before you do anything else, you've hugged her, you called her pretty, you're practically swooning when she's nice to you...I could go on but I think that should do it. You're in love with her, man. Admit it."

Arnold was silent for a few moments, taking in what Gerald just told him. Of course, he was right. All the things he listed off made perfect sense. But before he had time to think of it, they were then interrupted by a soft, squeaky voice.

"Arnold...? Gerald...?"

"Phoebe!" Gerald jumped, as did Arnold, when they saw Phoebe standing there. "W-What are you doing here?"

"Helga was wondering where Arnold was and what was taking so long, so I offered to go find him." Phoebe said.

"Um...Phoebe...how much of that did you hear?" Arnold finally asked.

"Some of it." Phoebe confirmed, and crossed her arms. "So you're pretending to have amnesia, aren't you?"

Gerald looked over at Arnold, who slumped over in shame and nodded.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"...Well, when I found out what Helga did for me yesterday because of it, and how really nice and sweet she was when I saw her this morning, under the assumption I still had amnesia, I was really drawn to her and it made me want to pretend I still had it so that she would still continue being so nice. It was stupid of me to do, and I feel horrible. I'm sorry."

Phoebe, having been hard and demanding, listened to what he had to say and then softened a little as she saw the sincerity of his reasoning, no ill-intent. Of course, this was Arnold they were talking about, he didn't have a mean bone in his entire body. She now understood, and knew he deserved to be forgiven for it, even if he had a lot of explaining and apologizing to do.

"I understand, Arnold. I can understand why you would do what you could to see the nicer side of Helga." Phoebe said softly. "But I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. Arnold, you need to go and tell her the truth."

"I know." Arnold nodded. "I owe her that much."

"Say what?! She'll murder you, man!" Gerald cried.

"No, Phoebe's right. I have to tell Helga the truth." Arnold said firmly. "I can't just lie to her like this, it's wrong. I never should've done this stupid game of pretend. I'd better go find her and tell her everything." With that, he headed off back into the playground.

Gerald and Phoebe both exchanged glances, and then held each other's hands as they followed Arnold at a distance to go see how this would turn out.

--

As nervous as he felt, Arnold knew he had to do this. It was the right thing to do, and he had to own up to his mistake. That part was done, but he had to make it happen. Most of all, he had to make it right.

He of course hated to make her angry, especially if it was his own fault, but he knew he had no other choice.

It was now or never.

"Um...Helga?" Arnold said as he came up to where she was sitting.

"Well! You finally remembered my name!" Helga grinned, and stood up. "What's up, Arnold?"

"Helga...I have to tell you something, and please, hear me out, okay?"

Helga's smile faded into a look of confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Helga, I...I don't have amnesia. Not right now, anyway. I did yesterday, but when I woke up this morning, I didn't have it anymore."

"What?!!? You lied to me?!" Now she was angry.

"Helga, wait! Please! Hear me out! I'm sorry!"

"Oh, I think I've heard enough...." She raised her fist and grabbed his collar. "What direction do you want your nose to face, left or right?!"

"I understand you're mad at me, and you have every right to be, but please, please just hear me out! It's all I ask! Please, Helga, I want to tell you I'm sorry!"

Helga's fist twitched a few inches from his face, her teeth gritting. Finally, she let go of him and let her arm dangle at her side.

"Fine." She sat down on the bench and crossed her ams and legs. "You have five minutes, football head."

Taking a deep breath in relief, Arnold stood back a couple of feet from where she sat, and looked her in the eye as he began to speak.

"What I did was stupid, and I should never have done that. I should've just told you from the start when I saw you this morning that I was fine. But I didn't do it because I wanted to make you my slave or get back at you."

"Then why did you?" Helga asked coldly.

"I did it because...because you were nice."

"What?!" Now she was angry AND confused.

"Helga, Grandpa told me what you did for me yesterday, and then this morning when I came out and saw you at the front of my house, you were acting so nice. Really nice. And I knew that if I told you I was fine, you would have instantly reverted back to your bullying side and then maybe even hit me with your umbrella and then storm away before I could ask to walk to school with you and thank you for what you did. So, I went and pretended I had amnesia so you'd be nice to me. ...Yes, I was fully conscious when you told me that you kissed me last night after I said I liked you, and this morning when you kissed me again and...well, all of that."

Her eyes widened with hurt, but then narrowed again in anger.

"I said I loved you...just to convince you that I was under amnesia, and believe me, I feel stupid for doing that, especially now that you know I wasn't even under amnesia. Helga...I'm so, so sorry. I know how much you love me, and I know it must hurt to hear me say such a thing. But I want you to know that I care about you, and I've been thinking a lot about what you told me back on the FTI building and this morning." He looked down at his shoes then, closing his eyes. "I'm very sorry, Helga. I really am sorry. I'll understand if you really hate me this time, and that you want to beat me up. You have every right to feel that way, and I deserve whatever you dish out at me. And again, I'm really sorry. I don't deserve your forgiveness."

Arnold flinched, standing there with his head hanging and his eyes tightly closed, awaiting to feel the wrath of Ol' Betsy and the Five Avengers, awaiting the pain. He waited, waited.

But nothing came.

Cracking an eye open, he saw Helga sitting exactly where she'd been before, only now her arms and legs were uncrossed, her hands clasped on her lap, her expression thoughtful and kind of blank.

".....Well Arnold, as much you do deserve being hit and punched by my fists...I gotta say it takes a lot of guts to have told me the truth like that. Not a lot of boys would do that, you know."

Still tense, he looked up at her. "...Yeah, I guess so."

Helga then sighed, looking down at her lap. "I uh...wouldn't have thought someone would actually go to that kind of length just to spend time with me and me being all nice and stuff. I just felt responsible, that's all. That's why I was nice."

"So you being nice and sweet, the fact I wouldn't remember it, the fact you loved me, had nothing to do with it?"

"Doi, of course it didn't! It was just a lucky coincidence!" Helga scowled.

Arnold smirked a little. "I think you did."

"I didn't!" Helga stood up then. "Wipe that smirk off your face before I do it for you, football head!"

"You would never hit me."

"Who says I won't!?"

"You love me."

"Love and hitting are two different things, Arnoldo."

"Please, Helga. You've been threatening to punch me since we were little, but you never carried out that threat. In fact, you most if not always say things like that but you never take action. I know you're not a violent bully for no reason, Helga. You're just insecure, you're sure no one will take you seriously if you don't act tough. ...Helga, being nice doesn't mean you have to be a throw pillow or act like Lila."

"And I NEVER will, thank you." Helga crossed her arms again.

"I don't want you to be like Lika. I want you to be you. Yourself."

"This IS myself, paste-for-brains."

"No, it's not."

"Yes it is! Deal with it!"

"You think I haven't been for the past six years? Helga, listen to me." Arnold stepped closer to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You've had a lot of rough times in your life, and no one deserves that. Your parents don't help any, but I want you to know right now that _it is NOT your fault_. You feel that you have to be strong, forceful, a bully. You want to get others before they get you. I can understand why you feel this way and put up all these barriers to protect yourself from harm. Trust me, I know. I understand, Helga, and maybe it can't erase all the torture you have put me or anyone else through over the years, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve a chance. A chance to be yourself, to face the problems in the world that come your way. You deserve a chance to move forward and make a good life for yourself. I believe in you, and I know you can do it. You just have to believe in yourself."

He looked into her eyes for a moment, and then lowered his head, sighing. His hands remained on her shoulders, and he didn't move an inch.

"Of course, I can tell you're probably ready to deny everything I just said. Go ahead, do what you want. I'm sure it's all going in one ear and out the other. But I'm not trying to tell you what to do or how to live your life. I'm trying to help you. I care about you, Helga. I care about you more than you think I do. ...I want you to be happy the most. You deserve it, and I know that if you put your mind to it, stay strong, you can accomplish anything."

She still said nothing.

"...Well, I guess I've said my piece. I'm really sorry again for tricking you like I did. I don't want to justify it, but I do want to say that I did not, and would never, do it with the intention of hurting you."

Arnold looked up at her again, and stepped a couple of inches closer to her.

"By the way, this is for you."

Standing on tiptoe, he leaned up and kissed her gently on the lips, keeping it loose but close, in case she would move away. He felt Helga stiffen for a moment, but then she brought her hands to his head, bringing him closer and kissing him back. Arnold tensed for a moment, expecting her to turn this into a passionate open-mouth kiss, but she didn't. Yes, her kiss was passionate, but it was still soft and sweet, but she held him there, prolonging the kiss. She was never known for short kisses, that was for sure.

Frankly, he wasn't complaining. He could tell she wanted this, and he had no problem fulfilling her little wish. His hands moved down to her waist, bringing her closer too. Surprisingly, he felt the need to be closer to her, to get more of a fill. He could taste the chocolate pudding and applesauce on her lips. Not bad.

For what felt like an eternity, though it was only a minute, the two of them pulled back, still embracing, eyes locked.

"...What the heck was that, football head?" Helga finally said breathlessly.

Arnold chuckled and then let go of her, taking her hand. "Let's go to class, Helga. The bell rang five minutes ago."

"Um...sure." Helga said in a small voice, allowing him to lead her toward the school.

As they walked, hand-in-hand, they glanced at each other with blushy cheeks and shy smiles, but not once did they let go of each other's hand until they reached Mr. Simmons' classroom.

"Can I walk you home after school?"

"Uh...yeah, sure. Whatever floats your boat."

"I'll see you then, _Hermione_."

"Whatever you say, _Artemis._"

They grinned at each other and went into the classroom, shutting the door behind them.


End file.
